February 1, 2026. 298 AC, February 1. South shore of the God's Eye, Draco City.
The "future imperial capital" in which Luke had placed such high hopes was growing at a speed never before seen in Westeros.
If King's Landing was a decaying behemoth slowly piled up over three hundred years, then Draco was a newborn infant poured into shape with modern planning and industrial efficiency.
Every day, it changed.
Today, the first batch of "residential housing" was officially completed. Two districts were now ready for occupancy. One was nad "Hero District," the other "Garden District."
Luke stood on a high slope outside Draco City, overlooking the two brand-new residential clusters. Arthur, Matthew, and a group of record-keeping scribes stood beside him.
The "Hero District" was a villa zone. Each building was a two-story brick-and-timber Western-style house with its own private entrance, front yard, and backyard. The backyards included toilets with septic tanks, while the front yards could be used for planting flowers and grass. Water ca from canals for easy access, and wastewater was channeled into underground pipes… those pipes had been planned early on, buried deep, and led to distant sewage treatnt ponds.
This district was designated for mbers of House Jaqenion's family guard. Anyone with outstanding military rit, families of the fallen, or those who had served for ten full years received a house directly from Luke—permanent property rights, and no need to pay water fees, sewage fees, or property managent fees.
From Luke's Earth perspective, these houses were fairly ordinary—at the level of typical "rural villas." But from the viewpoint of Westerosi commoners, they were luxurious mansions!
Most commoners lived their entire lives in mud-daubed thatched huts, sharing space with livestock. Houses with private yards, toilets, and clean water sources were places only noble lords deserved.
More than a hundred households had already moved into the "Hero District." So were soldiers who distinguished themselves at White Ridge Pass, so were workers injured or crippled during construction, and so were families of the fallen.
Their families stood in the brand-new yards, at a loss, as if dreaming.
The "Garden District" was different. This was the first "commodity housing" district in Westerosi history. Also two-story brick-and-timber structures, they were mainly row villas, each with private entrances, front and back yards, and toilets.
Each house was priced at 15 gold dragons.
What did 15 gold dragons an? Based on the lowest wage of a Jaqenion family guard, it would take roughly 12 years of saving every copper without eating or drinking to buy one. For ordinary laborers working on Draco's construction sites, it would take about 20 years.
It sounded like a long ti, but this was permanent property ownership. Moreover, Luke offered an "installnt paynt" plan… 30% down paynt, with the rest spread over ten years.
More than a dozen bold rchant families had already signed contracts and received their keys.
Besides these two "residential districts," a large "civilian economic housing area" had also been completed. It consisted of three-story brick buildings. Each building could house twelve families, with relatively small units that were sowhat cramped.
The living conditions naturally couldn't compare to the "Western-style villas," but they were affordable—a set cost only 6 gold dragons. A laborer working on Draco's construction sites for ten years could afford one. If they saved without eating or drinking, they could gather the sum in three years. Quite cheap, wasn't it?
Nearly a thousand households had already moved in.
As for those who couldn't even afford 6 gold dragons… Luke didn't drive them away. On the edge of the planned area lay a large "temporary residential zone" filled with simple shacks, resembling a refugee camp.
From the beginning, Luke had decreed: for 1 copper coin per person per month, one could obtain "residency rights." Note: residency rights, not ownership.
The shacks were uniformly built by the territory's construction teams. Though crude, they at least provided shelter from wind and rain. There were dedicated cleaners and centralized water points, making them cleaner than the thatched huts most had lived in back ho.
So people who ca to Draco had no concept of "having a house" at all and had never dared dream of owning their own private shack… Now, simply by working for a single day, they could "own" one. They were overjoyed.
Luke gazed at the shantytown area and frowned slightly. It would need gradual upgrading in the future.
"Jaqenion Avenue" stretched from Dragon Rise Terrace all the way to White Stone Town, running straight east-west as one of Draco's main thoroughfares. It was a wide bluestone road wide enough for eight carriages to travel abreast, divided into two one-way lanes—left side eastbound, right side westbound. The middle was separated by a long, narrow flowerbed strip planted with flowers and plants transplanted from across the Riverlands. Though still sparse, it would look beautiful once spring arrived.
Every two hundred ters or so stood a "wooden pedestrian bridge" for people to cross. Only every thousand ters was there an intersection where carriages could turn around… pedestrians could cross there too, but had to walk a bit farther.
Luke had also strictly enforced one traffic rule: keep right. Any horse, carriage, or ox cart within Jaqenion territory must keep to the right. Any vehicle violating the rule would be fined starting at 1 silver coin. Those unable to pay would face "labor reform" or have their horse or carriage confiscated.
Pedestrians causing major disruptions would also be fined.
When Arthur first heard this rule, he was stunned for a long while. "My lord, why specify which side to travel on?" "To prevent collisions," Luke replied. "Think about it—if two carriages coming toward each other both move toward the center, they'll crash. If everyone agrees to keep right, they'll never collide."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. Though he didn't fully understand, since it was the lord's order, he carried it out.
Thus, Draco beca the first city in Westeros with traffic regulations.
In addition to traffic rules, Luke enacted another bizarre law that left everyone baffled.
Any horse, carriage, or ox cart entering White Stone Town or Draco had to pay a "Traffic Manure Cleaning Fee." 1 copper coin for every three days of stay. Less than one day was free; one full day to three days counted as three. Monthly pass: 9 coppers. Annual pass: 90 coppers.
Every visiting carriage had to register at the city gate and obtain a "Vehicle Permit." Patrol teams checked these permits irregularly every day to ensure fees had been paid and had not expired. Any vehicle entering without a permit could be detained by the patrol. The owner had to pay the corresponding fine and complete registration before retrieving their horse or carriage.
When this law was announced, rchants across the entire Riverlands were dumbfounded. You had to pay for your horse just to enter the city? What kind of logic was that?
But Luke had his reasons.
He had been studying urban planning for Draco recently. While researching, he ca across an article about the "1894 New York Horse Manure Crisis." The article detailed a Victorian-era urban disaster: in the late 19th century before automobiles beca widespread, New York had 150,000 horses producing 13.6 million kilograms of manure and 150,000 liters of urine every day. The entire city reeked, flies sward, and disease ran rampant. Horse manure piled up on the streets—dust in dry weather, mud in rain. Pedestrians had nowhere to step.
After reading the article, Luke had an epiphany.
Thanks to his magical goods and road-building projects, comrce on the south shore of the God's Eye was booming. Dozens of carriages traveled here daily. The streets of White Stone Town and Draco echoed with hoofbeats and wheel ruts—a scene of prosperity.
But at the sa ti, the streets were covered in horse manure. Previously, his public hygiene laws had only regulated people: no defecating or urinating in public, no littering, violators fined. He had overlooked the horses and oxen.
In the dieval era, the main ans of transportation were horses, carriages, and ox carts. A single horse could produce over ten kilograms of manure per day. If thousands of carriages entered and exited Draco every day in the future, the city would be buried in horse shit.
King's Landing was known as a "city of shit" not only because of human waste—the manure from livestock was an even bigger contributor!
Therefore, transportation vehicles had to be regulated. The "Traffic Manure Cleaning Fee" was born from this necessity.
What was this money used for? To hire "sanitation workers."
Luke had established a city sanitation team responsible for clearing garbage and waste, collecting horse manure from the streets. Sanitation workers pushed specially made carts, carrying brooms and shovels, patrolling the streets daily. Whenever they spotted horse manure, they cleaned it imdiately and transported it to the "fertilizer plant" outside the city.
Yes, a fertilizer plant. Fernted horse manure made excellent fertilizer that could be sold to farrs outside the city—another source of revenue.
Sanitation workers also regularly cleaned septic tanks… the toilets with septic systems required professional maintenance. This created yet another batch of employnt positions.
Luke stood on the high slope, watching the sanitation workers sweeping horse manure on the streets, a satisfied smile on his face. A win on multiple fronts. The city was cleaner, employnt increased, fertilizer was produced, and disease was reduced.
This was the wisdom of modern urban managent.
In the distance, a caravan of carriages approached from the direction of White Stone Town. They stopped at the city gate, underwent inspection, registered their "Vehicle Permits," and paid the "Traffic Manure Cleaning Fee." The rchants on the carriages looked pained as they reluctantly handed over copper coins, muttering under their breath.
But they paid in the end. Because they had no choice.
In the entire Riverlands, only here could one find those magical "magic goods"… white sugar, perfu, silk stockings, glass beads… Transport them back to their own lands and the profit would be tenfold.
Compared to that, this small "manure fee" was nothing.
Luke watched the caravan slowly enter Draco, traveling along Jaqenion Avenue while keeping right, and disappear into the distance.
He turned and looked in another direction. There, the weirwood forest on the Isle of Faces was still being felled. Every day, timber was transported back—so to the shipyard, so to the construction materials market.
There, the flas in the dragon egg incubation chamber burned day and night. The three little dragons were becoming increasingly active in his spiritual world. It wouldn't be long before they broke out of their shells.
There, visitors from all over continued to arrive without end. Tully, Frey, Tyrell, Martell, Lannister… each with their own little sches.
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